Pipe wiper



April 1, 1959 GQ M. SHIPLEY 2,8 0

PIPE WIPER Filed Feb. 15, 1956 INVENTOR 6U) M. .SH/PL E?" ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,880,440 PIPE WIPER Guy M. Shipley, Odessa, Tex. Application February 13, 1956, Serial No. 565,153

7 Claims. (Cl. 15-210) This invention relates to a device for removing material deposited on the exterior surface of elongated objects, and more particularly, to a drill pipe wiper operable to remove mud from a drill pipe string as. the latter. is lifted out of an oil well hole.

In the conventional practices embodying a rotary system for drilling wells, a derrick is constructed which includes a rotary table located at the base thereof above the ground level. This table operates to move a string of drill pipe having a bit on its lower end into digging relation to the bottom of the well hole. The string of drill pipe is generally made up of a series of interconnected pipe sections and each section is in turn made up of a series of short pipe lengths interconnected by conventional collars. During the drilling operation, it is also customary to circulate within the drill pipe and well hole a fluid consisting of a suspension of mud of a predetermined characteristic. Generally, this mud is pumped down through the drill pipe string and discharged around the bit so as to flow up around the outside of the drill pipe string between the pipe and the interior surface of th well bore.

During the course of completing a well, the drill pipe string may be inserted and removed from within the well hole many times. In removing the drill pipe string, the pipe sections are successively disconnected and stacked on the derrick floor, which is substantially on the same level as the rotary table. This latter operation is accomplished by attendants standing on the derrick floor operating the derrick hoist. Accordingly, it is extremely im-' portant from a safety standpoint to maintain the derrick floor free from any mud deposits. Of course, as the pipe sections are removed from the well hole, quantities of the mud will adhere to the exterior surface thereof and unless provision is made for removing such deposits, the same will fall onto the derrick floor and give rise to hazardous conditions.

There are currently several pipe wiper devices available which operate to strip or clean off the mud from the drill pipe string as the same is moved upwardly out of the well hole. Generally, these devices are mounted on the pipe string beneath the derrick floor directly below the rotary table so that as the pipe string is elevated, the exterior thereof is substantially cleaned. However, all of these known devices have two distinct disadvantages. First, in order to mount the device below the rotary table of the oil well, it is necessary to remove certain parts of the rotary table. Second, since the string of pipe is made up of sections of pipe interconnected by collars of greater diameter,the known devices have been inelfective in cleaning the strings adjacent the collars.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a drill pipe wiper which can be conveniently mounted on th pipe below the rotary table of an oil well without the removal of any of the parts of the rotary table or associated oil well equipment.

Another object of the present invention is the provision ice 2 of an improved wiper which is operable to expand and contract so as to remain at all times in intimate contact with the exterior surface of an elongated object, even though the cross-sectional dimensions of the object may abruptly vary.

is operable to resiliently urge and maintain the lapped portions longitudinally together after the wiper has been inserted on the pipe and to resiliently urge the lapped portions radially inwardly so as to maintain the wiper in contact with the exterior surface of the pipe.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a pipe wiper having an improved pipe contacting surface construction which is operable to elfectively clean an exterior pipe string surface of mud or the like particularly adjacent the connecting collars thereof.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a pipe wiper which is simple in construction, easy to operate and economical to manufacture and maintain.

These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the course of the following detailed description and appended claims.

The invention may best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein an illustrative embodiment is shown.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a wiper device embodying the principles of the present invention showing the same in use;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the wiper;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of the wiper showing the manner in which it is expanded to mount the same on a pipe with certain parts broken away.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in Figure l a portion of an oil well installation which includes the usual rotary table 10 having a master bushing 12 therein normally operatively connected with a string of drill pipe 14 through a Kelly drive bushing (not shown). When the drill pipe string 14 is removed from the well bore, the Kelly drive bushing may be rev moved from the rotary table (shown in Figure 1) and, as

indicated above, the pipe string is then elevated through 1 the rotary table and disconnected at selective collar couplings 16. rotary table 10 is a pipe wiping device, generally indicated at 18, which embodies the principles of the present invention. flexible or resilient material, preferably rubber, having a circular opening 20 extending through the axis thereof for receiving the pipe string. As indicated above, the pipe wiper of the present invention is particularly arranged to be inserted or mounted on the pipe string below the rotary table without the necessity of removing any of the parts Mounted on the pipe string 14 below the" The device 18 includes a disk of a suitable 3 vertical slit 26 extends from the opposite end of the slit 22 radially through the disk to the opposite transverse surface thereof. The slits 22, 24- and 26 thus form on the disk a pair of lapped portions or sectors 28 which are normally biased together, but which may be separated to effect entry of the pipe into the opening 20.

Each transverse surface of the disk adjacent the opening is provided with an annular recess 30 and an annular groove 32, coextensive with the recesses 30, extends horizontally from the inner periphery of the disk at a position between the recesses 30 to a portion adjacent the outer periphery of the recesses. The recesses 30 and groove 32 thus form on the inner radial portion of the disk, a pair of longitudinally spaced annular lips 34 which serve to engage the exterior of the pipe string and strip the mud therefrom.

In order to more positively insure that the sectors 28 will be resiliently urged into engagement with each other, there is provided a coil spring 36 which preferably may be of flat spring steel coiled approximately 1 /2 times. Spring 36 is preferably embedded within the rubber disk with the end portions of the spring being disposed respectively within the sectors 28. In this manner, the spring not only serves to resiliently urge the sectors together longitudinally, but also serves to resiliently urge each of the sectors radially inwardly.

In operation, the disk is mounted on the string of drill pipe by initially separating the sectors 28 and pushing the disk into the pipe with the axis of the same disposed perpendicular to the pipe, or in other words, with the pipe parallel with the slit 22. When the disk has been moved onto the pipe sufficiently to enable the end of one sector to pass over the pipe, the disk can then be twisted until its axis coincides with the axis of the pipe and the same will be in operable position. In this position, the coil spring 36 acts to resiliently urge the sectors 28 longitudinally together and radially inwardly so that the lips 34 will intimately contact the exterior surface of the string. The position of the disk below the rotary table, of course, will prevent upward movement of the same with the pipe string. As the latter is removed from the well hole, the intimate contact of the lips 34 with the pipe string will strip any mud adhering to the exterior surface thereof so that the individual sections will be exteriorly clean as they are elevated above the derrick floor, dis connected and stacked.

. Of particular significance in the operation of the present wiper is the action of the same when a pipe string collar is moved therethrough. Since the lapped sectors 28 are interconnected solely through the remainder of the disk there may be substantial relative movement between the two in a transverse plane. Such movement, of course, is yieldably resisted by the action of the coil spring 36. Thus, as the collar enters the wiper the sectors will be moved radially outwardly which results in a widening of the space between the surfaces defined by the slits 24 and 26. The size of the sectors are sufficient however, to insure that the entire circumference of the collar will have lips in contact therewith. As the collar leaves the wiper, the spring 36 is operable to positively and immediately cause the disk to assume its original position. In conjunction with this action, the lip construction substan tially aids in securing a clean wipe at each end of the collar. Due to their reduced thickness, the lips are of course more flexible than the remainder of the disk and, hence, are in themselves capable of yielding and expanding to follow the changing contour. Moreover, the provision of a pair of such lips gives added insurance that a clean wipe will be obtained.

it can thus be seen that there is provided a simple, but elfective, pipe wiper disk which can be readily mounted on a pipe string intermediate its ends without the necessity of removing any of the parts of the oil well equipment. In addition, the wiper is effective to clean the exterior surface of the pipe string and to expand or have been fully and elfectively accomplished.

contract to follow any variations in its exterior surface. The provision of an embedded coil spring serves to insure a positive actuation of the wiper in performing both of these functions. In other words, the spring not only insures that the sectors will be maintained together after they have been separated to insert the disk on the pipe string, but also insures that the sectors will be radially urged into contact with the exterior surface of the pipe. In addition, the split arrangement of the disk enables the same to automatically adjust to various size pipes so that a single wiper may be used in cleaning a variety of different size strings.

While the sectors are shown as structurally identical and as constituting one-half of the disk, it will be understood that the precise configuration of the sectors may be varied and still perform the same dual function and purpose noted above. Likewise, the lip constructionfor engaging the pipe can be varied somewhat and still obtain the advantages of the present invention.

In addition, it will be understood that while the wiper of the present invention has been disclosed in connection with the stripping of mud from a drill pipe string,

the same may be used in stripping foreign matter from' the exterior of any elongated object, as for example, a cable or the like. Of particular significance is the fact that the present Wiper is automatically adjustable to accommodate variations in the cross-sectional dimensions of the object upon which it is mounted. Furthermore, it will be understood that it may be possible to mount the disk in an oil well installation in a position other than as disclosed directly below the rotary table. By providing a split construction which makes possible the mounting of the disk on a pipe intermediate the ends thereof, the difiiculty heretofore experienced in mounting drill pipe wiping devices is obviated with the present invention. In general, the present invention effectively overcomes the two main disadvantages of the wipers heretofore known; namely, the problem of mounting the same on the oil well equipment and the problem of effectively cleaning the pipe string adjacent the collar couplings.

It thus will be seen that the objects of this invention It will be realized, however, that the foregoing specific embodiment has been shown and described only for the purpose of illustrating the principles of this invention and is subject to extensive change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A pipe wiper comprising a ring of flexible material split to form a pair of free lapped portions and spring means carried by said ring having spaced end portions disposed in said lapped portions operable to resiliently resist movement of said lapped portions axially apart and radially outwardly.

2. A pipe wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said lapped portions comprise one half of said ring.

3. A pipe wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein the radially inner portion of said disk is provided with an annular groove forming a pair of longitudinally spaced annular lips for engaging the pipe.

4. A pipe wiper as defined in claim 3, wherein the transverse surfaces of said disk are provided with annular recesses substantially coextensive with said annular groove.

5. A pipe wiper comprising a disk of flexible material having a circular opening extending axially therethrough for receiving a pipe, said disk having a first slit extending in a transverse plane betweenthe outer and inner pe' 5 in said disk having spaced end portions disposed in said lapped portions for resiliently resisting movement of said lapped portions axially apart and radially outwardly.

6. A self-contained pipe wiper comprising a thin disk of flexible material having a circular opening extending axially therethrough for receiving a pipe, said disk having a sector thereof of the order of 180 slit from its outer periphery to its inner periphery, the opposite ends of said slit between said peripheries communicating respectively with opposite transverse surfaces of said disk so as to form a pair of free lapped sector portions movable axially apart to permit entry of the pipe into said opening and circumferentially in opposite directions to 6 accommodate enlarged couplings connected to the pipe.- 7. A pipe wiper as defined in claim 6 wherein a spring is imbedded in said disk, said spring having spaced end portions disposed in said lapped sector portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,230,069 Rushmore Jan. 28, 1941 2,239,159 Miller Apr. 22, 1941 2,328,127 Crickmer Aug. 31, 1943 2,611,146 Buckley Sept. 23, 1952 2,697,623 Mosher Dec. 21, 1954 2,736,586 Riesing Feb. 28, 1956 

